Assessment of copper surface coverage with corrosion inhibitor using AFM-based local electrical measurements

The paper presents a new method of assessment of metal surface coverage with corrosion inhibitor and thus of inhibitor protective performance. It is based on the atomic force microscopy measurement performed in a contact mode. Apart from topography images the proposed approach allows acquisition of local DC maps and local electrical impedance spectra via application of DC bias voltage or AC perturbation signal between the conductive AFM tip and the substrate. Potentialities of this technique in inhibitor performance monitoring were illustrated on the example of copper/benzotriazole system exposed to elevated humidity environment.